Curtain operating device



Feb. 16, 1932. J. WITTEMANN CURTAIN OPERATING DEVICE Filed July 26, 1930 INVIfNTOR.

John Wifiemann A TTORNE Y.

Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES JOHN WITTEMANN, 01: L ANGELIS, CALIFORNIA CURTAIN OPERATING DEVICE Application filed July 26,

The present invention relates to devices for operating draw curtains, either single or multiple, and comprises a horizontally disposed tubular supporting bar for the curtains,

5? such bar housing the elements from which the curtains are suspended, and through which they are operated.

The said elements are formed as short sectional slides. which are adapted to travel upon the inside of the tubular bar, and each is provided with an eye which projects downwardly through a slit at the lower side of the bar, to which eyes the curtains are attached for suspension and operation.

A doubled draw string is passed over pulleys at one end of the said bar and looped about a pulley at the other end.

Two master slides within the bar have provisions for connection with and disconnection from the opposite runs of the doubled draw string. so that in the connection of the master slides to the draw string, the curtains may be moved toward or away from each other. By simple disconnection, either of the two curtains may be permitted to remain at rest. either in open or closed position.

The invention also embodies a novel form of bracket in which the tubular bar is clamped and held against rotation, so as to prevent disturbance of the correct position of the slit at the bottom of the said bar, and so insure efficient operation at all times.

The foregoing features, and others residing in the invention, will now be described in detail, and the novelty thereof will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the upper part of a window, showing my improvement as associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, vertical, central section through the tubular bar, broken out intermediate its ends, and showing the construction and operation of the features oomprising the invention.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation, looking from the left in Fig. 1 of one of the specially constructed brackets for maintaining the tubular bar in fixed position. v

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View, en-

1930. Serial 110. 470,844.

larged, on the line 44, Fig. 2, showing details of the construction for clamping a master slide to one run of the draw string.

In the drawings, the letter A indicates the upper part of a window frame of any suitan able construction, theletter B a curtain supporting rod constructed in accordance with my invention, and the letter C indicates brackets of special construction for supporting rod B in a relatively fixed position.

The curtain supporting rod B is formed as a tube 10 provided on one of its sides with a slit 11, which may extend the full length of the tube or other suitable distance intermediate its ends, the latter construction being shown in Fig. 2. Into one end of the tube is fitted a plug 12 provided with a longitudinal opening in which grooved pulleys13 and 14 are journaled on a pin 15, fixed horizontally in the said plug, so that the grooved pulleys are maintained in parallel vertical planes.

Aplug 16 is secured in the other end of the tube 10, the said plug 16 being provided on its inner face with a recess 17, in which is placed a grooved pulley 18, journaled on a pin 19 so as to maintain the grooved pulley 18 in a horizontal plane.

To support the tubular bar B in correct position upon the frame-work of the window A, I employ special designed brackets 0, constructed in the following manner. A strip of metal of rectangular cross section, is bent transversely near its middle so as'to constitute an angular piece having a vertical base 20, for attachment to the window frame, and an overhanging horizontal arm 21. The outer end of the horizontal arm 21 may be downturned, as at 22, if desired. A stop 23 of any suitable form, is projected from the front. face of the back strip 20. I have found it convenient to construct such stop by perforating the back piece 20 and driving a short pin in the perforation. A clamping member of strip material like that used in the formation of the angular part 2021, is formed so as to receive the tubular bar. The configuration of the said clamping member is shown in Fig. 3, the lower end of the said clamping member being bent as at 24 so as to engage the underside of the stop 23, and form an anchorage for the lower end of the clamping member. From that point, a section 25 of the clamping member extends upwardly to a point near the middle of the overhanging arm 21, at which point it is bent horizontally'for a short distance as at 26. The horizontal bend 26 is continued into a depending circular loop 27 having the radius of the tubular bar B. The overhanging arm 21 and the horizontal bend 26 of the clamping member are provided with aligned perforations for the reception of a bolt or screw 28, designed to place the clamping member under tension and clamp the end of the tubular bar B firmly against the lower side of the arm 21, and thus maintain the said tubular bar against accidental disturbance of its position so that the operating elements hereinafter to be described within the tubular bar B may be operated with facility and certainty.

The length of the tubular bar B will be dependent upon the width of'the window with which the fixtures embodying my invention are associated.

A multiple number of slides 29,. as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in detail in Fig. 2, are placed within the hollow of the tube 10 of the bar B. Such slides 29 preferably are formed of sections of light tubing, the external diameter of which is a little less than the internal diameter of the tube 10, in

. which they are free to slide. Eye pieces 30,

the shanks of which are passed through the slit 11 of the tube 10 are attached to the slides 29 in any suitable manner, so that the eyes thereof project below the tube 10, and in position to receive the hooks or other fastening devices employed for suspending the curtain.

I have illustrated a structure designed to operate a pair of draw curtains, movable toward and away from each other. In such structure the slides 29 are arranged into a group at the left and a group at the right, each such group supporting a suspended curtain. Leading each group in its movement toward the other, is a master slide 31, pref- 1 erablv hollowed out at the rear and provided with a curtain supporting eye 30, correspondingwith the eyes of the slides 29. The

opposing front ends 32 of the master slides 31 are solid, in order to provide means for supporting the elements which clamp the master slides to the draw strings 33 bv which the curtains are operated. The solid head of each master slide is provided with two bores, through which the runs of the doubled draw string 33 are passed. The course of the draw string 33 through the device is as follows: One end of the draw stringis passed into the tube 10, over the grooved pulley 13, through aligned bores in the solid head 32 of the master slides 31, about the grooved pulley '18 at the other end of the tube 10, and then returned through other aligned bores in the solid heads of the master slides, and out of the tube by passing over the grooved pulley 14. The projecting ends of the doubled draw strings are in position for easy operation in alternate directions as will readily be un-' derstood.

The solid end of each master slide 31 is channeled transversely as at 34C, and in each 36, passed through the slit 11, into the tube 10, and threaded into a bore in the solid head of the master slide, the end of such screw contacting with the clamping finger 35 to exert the necessary clamping pressure thereon to effect a fixed engagement of one run of the draw string and the master slide. The screw permits the clamping pressure of the finger to be exerted to a degree which will make the engagement positive and non- I slipping. A like arrangement prevails with respect to the opposed master slide and the other run of the draw string.

It will be seen that'movement of the draw string by pulling one end thereof, with both master slides clamped thereon, will operate such slides in opposite directions either toward or away'from each other. The curtains will be suspended at a plurality of spaced points by the slides .29 and master slides 31,

and the outer upper corners of the curtains will be anchored to the brackets to prevent them from overrunning when drawn toward each other. Movement of the master slides away from each other will successively move all of the slides 29 until they are stacked up at the sides of the window, thus opening the curtains. Reverse movement of the draw string and its connecting master slide will successively draw the slides 29 into their spaced relation, as shown in Fig. 1 when the curtains are closed.

The screws 36 are independently operated and may be loosened so as to free one curtain and leave it in a position of rest when it is desired to operate but one of the curtains.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

In a curtain operating and supporting.

device, a tubular bar having a slit in lower side thereof, two series of slides within the bar and having means depending through the slit to support the curtains, a master slide for each series of slides, a doubled draw string within the tubular bar, and means on each finger to positively clam nger upon the draw string with a non-s ipping engagement. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name at Los Angeles, this 13th day of June,

JOHN WITTEMANN. 

